30 Jan Study Addresses Strategies US Adults Use to Save On Prescription Drug Costs
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Robin A. Cohen, Ph.D
Medical Research: What is the background for this study?
Dr. Cohen: Estimates are based on data collected from the 2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The NHIS is a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics. NHIS collects information about health and health care of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. In 2013, questions about strategies used to reduce prescription drug cost were asked of more than 34,000 adults aged 18 and over.
Medical Research: What are the main findings?
Dr. Cohen: To save money, almost 8% of U.S. adults (7.8%) did not take their medication as prescribed, 15.1% asked a doctor for a lower-cost medication, 1.6% bought prescription drugs from another country, and 4.2% used alternative therapies.
Adults aged 18–64 (8.5%) were nearly twice as likely as adults aged 65 and over (4.4%) to have not taken their medication as prescribed to save money.
Among adults aged 18–64, uninsured adults (14.0%) were more likely than those with Medicaid (10.4%) or private coverage (6.1%) to have not taken their medication as prescribed to save money.
The poorest adults—those with incomes below 139% of the federal poverty level—were the most likely to not take medication as prescribed to save money.
Among adults aged 65 and over, those living with incomes in the 139-400% FPL range were more likely than adults living in lower or higher income thresholds to have asked their provider for a lower cost prescription to save money.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Cohen: We found that among U.S. adults aged 18–64, strategies for reducing prescription drug costs were more commonly practiced by those who were uninsured than those who had public or private insurance coverage. This cost-saving strategy may result in poorer health status and increased emergency room use and hospitalizations, compared with adults who follow their recommended pharmacotherapy.
Among adults aged 65 and over, those covered by both Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to have not taken their medication as prescribed to save money, but were less likely to have asked their doctor for a lower-cost prescription, than those who had private insurance coverage. Other research supports that differences observed in cost-saving strategies by insurance coverage may be interrelated with socioeconomic and other patient characteristics. For example, the belief that the recommended pharmacotherapy is needed and an understanding of the recommended treatments, have been found to be lower among older adults who are economically vulnerable, compared with those with higher income.
Citation:
Cohen RA, Villarroel MA. Strategies used by adults to reduce their prescription drug costs: United States, 2013. NCHS data brief, no 184. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2015
[wysija_form id=”1″]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with Robin A. Cohen, Ph.D (2015). Study Addresses Strategies US Adults Use to Save On Prescription Drug Costs MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on January 30, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD